


The Cold is Too Much to Bear

by privatemumbles



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Death, F/F, Fluff, Nightmares, PTSD, Survivor Guilt, Volskaya Industries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 07:29:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8524006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/privatemumbles/pseuds/privatemumbles
Summary: A small group of Overwatch operatives are trapped inside the library of Volskaya Industries during a blizzard. While alone in the cold, both Mei and Aleksandra remember their unfortunate pasts with the freezing weather, and wonder why they were the ones who made it out.





	

The base had grown cold, frozen winds keeping them inside, few of them able to go outside for more than a short time to try and find a way to signal the flying Overwatch Carrier of their location. The Overwatch team huddled in the library of Volskaya Industries, the heating and lights having long given out after being left by citizens and the army abandoning the once oft used center of knowledge. A blaze was growing hotter, Fareeha dumping another pile of splintered wood onto the fire. Winston and Mei refused to let the team use the books for kindling, and so the tables and chairs went instead. Various members of their squad had spread out inside the sprawling expanse underneath the library, farthest away from the cold when they slept the night before. But for now, the fire’s warm glow had drawn them all out. With their entire team together, in the windproof Library, it almost felt like a Home.  
And yet, it was their temporary prison.

 

Aleksandra leaned back against a pillar, her snowsuit for the time being wrapped around her Particle Cannon. It was a precious weapon, covered in notches to show how many battles the hero had been through. Looking around her team, Aleksandra huffed with a little disappointment. How had the mighty Overwatch been beaten by a snowstorm of all things? She had pushed through numerous ones many times before when she was still a soldier in the war against the Omnics. Still, Aleksandra had to admit this was the worst one she had seen in years.

 

Giving a second glance over her team, all sitting comfortably around the fire, Aleksandra noticed something was missing. Or rather, someone.

 

Where was Mei?

 

“Is something bothering you Ms. Zaryanova?” Winston asked, looking at her. He had been quick to notice her surprise, looking for an answer from the Russian. This caused the others to look her way as well, and she grew slightly uncomfortable with all of their eyes on her. Even as a flaunted Hero, and once world famous Weight Lifter, being the center of attention not based on her ability flared anxiety in Aleksandra.

 

“Ah, it’s probably nothing. Why has Mei not joined us? She’s the only one missing.” Perhaps the short scientist was just comfortable sleeping alone in the cold? Or was it something else?

 

“Mei? I haven’t seen her since we bunkered down for the night. Did anyone catch where she went to bed?” Lucio asked, looking at the others. Jesse and Fareeha both confirmed they hadn’t seen her since the previous day. Winston was no help either, having stayed upstairs during the night. His thick fur and exosuit had been enough for him to not feel the cold. Besides, as the captain of this mission, he had to be upstairs in case the Overwatch Carrier was able to descend and find them.

 

“Aleksandra, would you mind finding her? While we all need our energy, I’m sure she’d prefer to come upstairs and spend time with us instead of that cold basement.” Winston suggested. Aleksandra shrugged, willing to do the task. “I will be back up with her shortly, I’m sure.” and she left downstairs without another word.

 

Aleksandra huffed, her warm breath smokey in the cold air of the basement. “Mei? It is time to wake up now, sleeping in the cold for too long is ill advised. Hah, believe me, I would know."

 

Something felt. . . off down here. There was a soft, quiet beeping coming from one of the dark hallways. It sounded like that little robot Mei kept around- what was its name again? Aleksandra had come to calling it " детеныш ", but she was sure that wasn't its name. Probably something Chinese? She peered down the hallway, seeing a bright blue glow coming from Mei’s assistant robot. The poor thing seemed to be tapping itself against a door. Perhaps that was where Mei was? Why would the scientist leave her beloved companion outside? Aleksandra was used to seeing the two of them never apart. Troubled, she approached the robot, suddenly feeling an icy chill. Why though? If anything, it was supposed to be warmer down here.

“детеныш? What are you doing outside alone?” She gently pushed the floating drone away from the door, placing her palm on the cold metal surface. Aleksandra hissed, quickly removing her hand. It had been so cold that it tore some of her skin away, leaving her bare palm raw. She looked with alarm at the robot, surprised that it had been that cold. It beeped in a sad manner, and drifted lower, resting on the ground. There was frost slowly reaching underneath the door, creeping towards her feet. Aleksandra almost stepped back, before taking a breath and going to the door handle with her unmarred hands. It was cold as well, but she had to see what was inside. Whatever was happening to her comrade, it was her responsibility now.

Opening the door to Mei’s room let a gust of chill air escape, making her colder then before. Her skin grew pale, but Aleksandra went inside anyways.

“Mei? Are you alright—“

Aleksandra froze, staring at Mei before her. The scientist was curled up in a fetal position on her cot, shivering as frost grew over her body- no. It was coming from her body. Her head turned slowly, so slowly and forcefully against the ice covering her body at Aleksandra that the Russian swore she could hear the ice breaking and shifting as she did. Her eyes didn’t focus on anything, looking glassy and empty as they roamed over Aleksandra in the doorway.

Mei looked like a corpse.

Like the hundreds of corpses Aleksandra had seen abandoned by the Omnics in the cold hellscape of the Russian countryside, left to be buried in nothing but the snow.

Mei looked like death.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mei didn’t remember why she had been so excited to come to Volskaya Industries. Was it the chance to investigate something nonviolent? Or that she wouldn’t be sweating her whole body off in a location for once? Whatever the reason, she regretted signing on for the mission now. Something about the snowstorm surrounding them at the library felt too familiar—it pulled at her skin, giving her goosebumps. Mei tried to convince herself that the feeling she had was simply because of the extreme cold, but the scientist could only lie to herself for so long.

The others were discouraged by the storm, but not scared. Not in the same way that she was. Mei thought she hid it well at least, staying cheery and bright as best she could. Staying positive had been what saved her life before. She wasn’t about to stop that now not when others still needed her. As long as that was true, how could she show weakness in their time of hardship?

She had been fine for the first part of the night, as the group had discussed how they would escape this snowy predicament. While they had all done battle or survival camps in the cold before, it had never been without a back out plan. Except for Mei and Aleksandra. They had been in much worse.

“We could use my Sonic Amplifier to try and get a signal up to the Carrier. Problem is all the snow might block out the waves. . .”

“I’m thinkin’ we just wait out while I can. A lil’ ol’ storm shouldn’t be too hard to get through. Sides’, we’ve got enough food to last everyone for a week. No way it can last longer then that. . .”

“It might be possible for me to fly up high enough into the atmosphere that I can breach the cloud barrier. Then I could signal the Carrier from there. . .”

“Fareeha, while your suit is powerful, I don’t believe that’s advisable. I think Lucio’s plan with the Amplifier might. . .”

While the rest of the team conversed on their strategy, Aleksandra and Mei were silent. Mei looked towards Aleksandra, all bundled up in her immense snow coat. She looked warm at least. As long as they all stayed alive here, wasn’t that really what mattered? “I think perhaps Jesse might be right, maybe. . . waiting is just what we have to do.” Aleksandra looked disappointed with Mei’s answer. She always was a woman of action, wasn’t she? There was never waiting around for someone else to save her, which was something Mei admired.

Later, as the team decided to take a break for the night and descend into the basement Mei looked into the stairs leading down with hesitation. The rest of her team went down, swallowed by the darkness with nothing but a few flashlights to guide their way. Winston waved at her, wishing her a good night while he tinkered with a few electronics. Lucio had somewhat unwillingly given up his Sound Gun for the project of contacting the Carrier, and Winston had already set to working on giving it the ability to create a larger signal.

Taking a shaky breath, she went down after the others. It seemed that everyone else had disappeared from sight already, bunkered down snug for the night. Snowball beeped softly in her pack, and she hushed it. “I know, I know, we need to sleep too. I’ll find somewhere soon. . .”

Mei walked, and found herself a small break room far away from the stairs down with a cot on the floor. Sighing, she hunkered down, removing her pack from off her shoulders and placing it as a headrest, and taking off her coat to use more as a blanket. Snowball hummed quietly, placed next to her head as Mei began to drift into sleep.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t sleep.

Something was dreadfully wrong.

All of a sudden, she was being helped by the Eco-point Antarctica team into her cryostasis tube. Years and years ago, in a similar snow storm, in a horrible freezing cold. They had been holding out for as long as they could before finally making the decision for the team to go into hibernation. It had been scary, considering the possibility that they might be asleep in the cold for more then a month, but that was a risk they had to take. The last thing Mei saw before going under was the nervous smiles of her team. As anxious as they were, they were full of hope.

Mei woke up years later, all of their containers frozen over and their bodies still. Cold. Mei didn’t dare to disturb their eternal slumber (She had told herself after waking and banging her fists on each container in frustration and sorrow, somehow wishing that if she fought against it hard enough, perhaps she could bring them back from their icey tombs, and not be alone, oh god so alone. Not a single living soul in miles. For Years. For Decades.

She was utterly alone.

Snowball felt Mei shudder in her unrest, and hovered over her while buzzing. It beeped loudly as Mei suddenly started crying in her sleep, a freezing gust of air emanating from her body as she sobbed. Snowball was knocked backwards out of the room, the door slamming shut behind it. Internal alarms began to go off inside, and it beeped in fear, bumping against the door to try and get back inside to Mei.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Everything in Aleksandras mind was telling her to leave, that this- whatever it was once, was not a human. It was a body. ‘Get back to camp, Aleksandra. There’s nothing you can do for these people now. They’re gone. They’re gone. They’re gone.’

 

Meis appearance was that of a forgotten life, twisted out of a living being in the snow. Aleksandra murmured something in Russian, fearfully almost, unable to move either forwards or backwards. Away from death. Forwards to death. Either way was fraught with bitter cold and pain. She couldn’t decide which would be a lesser evil. Who was she, just one individual among hundreds, thousands of other innocent Russian citizens, supposed to be a hero? A hero that could not save her people? A hero that would rather be dead to save all, or even one of the lives of the corpses that lie before her?

 

Snowball bumping into her back made her yelp, not expecting the contact. Aleksandra came back from the battlefield of death, back into the present. Mei wasn’t dead, and Aleksandra didn’t have time to wonder if this was a corpse of someone she knew, someone she loved, because this was no corpse. This was a living, breathing human being.  
Mei could still be saved.

 

“Mei. . .Mei. . .”

 

Her bottom lip trembled as she hesitated to speak up, but Snowball continued to try and feebly push Aleksandra towards its creator. Mei’s dead looking eyes looked her up and down slowly. It truly did seem like the scientist was gone, whether because of the cold, or her own mind Aleksandra could not tell. Wherever that was, it would take effort to bring her back out. A truly heavy weight was weighing on Aleksandras shoulders as she approached at Snowballs insistence. She knelt down next to Mei’s frozen body, reaching for her shoulder. The closer the Russian got to Mei, the colder she became, swearing she felt the frost beginning to grow on her own pale skin.

 

So close to touching Mei’s body, Mei’s eyes closed, and she began to sob. Icey gusts flew out of her body again, pushing Aleksandra away with a small whimper as her own body grew colder. Aleksandra desperately wished she had kept her own winter coat on before her excursion down stairs, even if she had it to wrap around Mei, giving at least some warmth to her comrade (or perhaps a barrier between Aleksandra and the Cold).

 

“Mei. . . please, wake up. . .”

 

Mei’s eyes didn’t focus on anything, glancing everywhere but the pale, pallid body coming closer to her. It was too tall, too big, too much like a slow walking corpse. It brought her mind spiraling back to the dead bodies of her squad at the Eco-Point in Antarctica, their own dead eyes now not too far from her own. She kept crying, sobbing. ‘Don’t touch me.’ Mei begged to herself, to the figure coming closer and closer. ‘Don’t touch me, leave me alone, I don’t want to be cold again, I don’t want to see you.’ Her prayers went to unhearing, unkind ears as the advance did not stop. Even the gusts of air she nearly willed to escape her frigid skin did not seem to deter it from getting closer to her.

 

“Mei, it’s me. . . wake up, this is all a bad dream. . . Mei. . .”

 

And then the corpse put its hand onto her shoulder.

 

The corpse’s hand was not cold. It was warm. So very warm.

 

Mei looked up and focused at the source of the warmth, and found herself staring into Aleksandras eyes. She looked like she was frozen, and yet even that small touch of warmth had brought Mei back for a moment.

 

“A-A-Aleksandra?” Mei shakily whimpered, looking at her companion. “Wh. . . Why are. . .” Someone was here with her? Mei wasn’t alone? Could that really be true? No, no it was still cold. Her hands were still frozen, her whole body was freezing. And just as soon as she had felt that small touch of warmth, it disappeared all of a sudden, her own teammates features twisting to those of her dead friends, asking her why she had left them. Frozen hands and bodies surrounded Mei in her mind, grasping at her skin and consuming her in the cold.

 

“Mei, don’t- don’t go back to sleep!”

 

‘Why didn’t you save me Mei? How come you of all people got to live and I didn’t? Did you want this?’

 

“Mei, please! It’s me! Aleksandra!”

 

‘You failed the world. You failed Overwatch. You failed us. We’re dead and you left us like this. What kind of hero are you anyways?’

 

The room’s temperature began to sharply drop again, the crying from Mei becoming even harsher than it had before. Cold winds pushed at Aleksandra, as if attempting to freeze her to her very core in an attempt to get her away from Mei. But she wasn’t having any of it, not now. Not again, not ever again would Aleksandra let someone die in the cold when she had a say in it. There would be no more unidentified bodies in the snow, no more mourning for people she had wished she had gotten to know, no more wishing she was dead instead of them. Aleksandra had to fight. She had to win.

 

For Mei.

 

Aleksandra fought against the torrents of cold and snow coming from Mei, and wrapped her arms around the tiny scientist while refusing to relent to the cold trying to take Mei away from Aleksandras grasp. “You will not go back! You will not be taken from me!” Icey patches began to grow over her body, covering her skin and making her wince. And yet, the Hero would not falter. She shouted, no, Aleksandra screamed over the sobs and the wind to Mei, reaching out to her with her own body warmth as the Hero refused to let her go.

 

“Mei, wake up! NOW!”

 

Mei’s eyes snapped open again, right back again into Aleksandras. She was alive, and Mei was alive. Both of them were still alive, and Mei was not alone. Aleksandra would not let go of Mei as the ice slowly began to disappear, as tears escaped Mei’s eyes again after being frozen to stillness, as Mei began to sob openly without the unnatural cold pushing Aleksandra away from her. Aleksandra would never let her go again, never let go of anyone who mattered to her go again. Aleksandra was their shield, and most importantly, she would be Mei’s shield. Aleksandra looked into Mei’s eyes as the other began to stop crying, only sniffing instead. She laughed shakily, clearly a bit more worse for wear then Mei.

 

“Good morning Doctor. Sorry this was a sudden wake up call. . .”

 

She looked at Aleksandra with a sense of amazement, tears still gathered at the edges of her eyes and her nose still sniffling as her mouth gaped open at her apparent Hero. Her surprised expression slowly shifted into one of happiness, a small gentle smile spreading itself wide across her face.

 

“Hah, I. . . I kinda needed it honestly. I’m such a- sniff- deep sleeper, I don’t, heh, uh, notice when I can’t wake up sometimes.”

 

Aleksandra said nothing, but clearly grew calmer. The ice had melted off of the both of them now, and the room had become warm around them. For a moment, they looked at each other with nothing but compassion, comforted in the presence of one another. Neither one planned to interrogate, or even ask the other about what had happened, not yet at least. Both knew the pain of having to explain their past, their trauma, what they went through.  
It was blissful.

 

Then Jesse, Winston, and Fareeha all barged into the room, Pharah coming first fully decked in her Combat suit battle ready, Winston and Jesse crashing into one another as they both tried to run through the door at the same time. Lucio came trailing behind holding a shaking, and erratically beeping Snowball, both looking past Winston and Jesse both fallen on the ground behind Fareeha. All of them had looks of concern and worry that evaporated once they saw Mei and Aleksandra safe and sound.

 

“The robot- - It came into the main room just a moment ago acting strange, we assumed the worst.” Fareeha knelt to help Winston and Jesse back up to their feet, effortlessly lifting the both of them up. “Is everything alright you two?”

 

“I. . .” Aleksandra looked at Mei, to see if she wanted to say. The scientist looked tired, too tired for the moment to go any further about what had happened to her. “It was a false alarm. Детеныш accidentally got locked out of her room this morning, so Mei overslept.” Snowball beeped confusedly, clearly not understanding why Aleksandra wasn’t telling the truth about the situation. Mei lifted a finger to her lips to shush it, and it grew quiet. The rest of the team looked confused, but glad nonetheless.

 

Winston readjusted his glasses on his face, and huffed. “Well then, I’m glad you’re both okay. We all really assumed the worst there for a second!”

 

“Heh, that’s what you say big guy. I knew there was nothin’ wrong at all. Ya’ll got nervous over nothing.”

 

Both Lucio and Fareeha chimed in at once. “He screamed and put his hat over his face when Snowball flew out of the basement because it scared him.” “Jesse fell down the stairs trying to run to you two and got tangled in his wrap and face planted.”

 

While Jesse’s face grew red, everyone else began to laugh. Mei and Aleksandra went right along with them, happy at last. Mei’s giggles were greatly overtaken by Aleksandra’s booming guffaws, but she seemed happy with letting her take the lead, being the front man for now. They were there for each other now, silent shields for one another. Both was ready to guard the other from the world. Mei felt at peace, even as the snow storm continued outside for sure. This was her team. No, no they were more then a team. This was her family, and she loved them, as much as they loved her.

 

“Alright, alright, rope it in folks.” Jesse grumbled. “Didn’ you have somethin’ to announce big guy?”

 

“Oh!” Winston remembered himself, covering his mouth with one paw. “I almost forgot! Which is, frankly ridiculous considering how important this is-“

 

Lucio stepped into the room past Winston as he rambled, letting Snowball float happily back to Mei. It snuggled next to her, between Mei and Aleksandra. “What D.K. means to say, is that the snowstorms cleared up enough that we got a signal through to the carrier. They should be coming to pick us up in about an hour.”

 

Mei and Aleksandra looked at each other in surprise. “Was it really that easy?” Mei mused quietly. If only they had people like this back then, who knows. She was snapped out of her contemplation by Aleksandra suddenly stretching her arm over Mei’s shoulders and tugging her a bit closer. “Then what are we all doing down here in the dark? Let’s get back up there and get ready! An hour of preparation is nothing, especially if Winston and Mei want to haul all of these tomes back to the carrier, we have to start packing now! Come, let’s go!” She hefted Mei up, patting her off one last time as the others in the team cheered, and went back up after Zarya. Mei smiled one last time, feeling incredibly warm as she listened to her teammates laughing and joking. She was never going to be alone again.

 

Later, as the Carrier took off far away from Volskaya Industries, Winston approached Mei as she sat idly at the table while reading a scientific journal that had come out in the days they had been trapped down below. “Mei, I was wondering if I could ask you about something pertaining to this morning?” She stiffened, and gave a slightly strained smile. “Yes? What is it Winston?” He put forward a tablet, showing the teams vitals.

 

“I noticed something very odd when I came back on board to analyze how we were through the storm. I asked Lucio about this as well, and he laughed and told me not to worry about it, but I still feel I have to! I worry about all of your personal health! It’s just, with this measurement of your body temperature, ever since this morning you’ve become extremely hot compared to everyone else’s body temperatures when near Ms. Zaryanova. I’m wondering if something in her particle cannon’s traces is causing an unfortunate reaction in your body?” Winston looked up from the tablet to see that Mei had frozen herself into an Iceburg. “Wh- Mei! Oh my goodness, what’s going on?” From the other side of the room, Lucio stifled a laugh and patted Aleksandra on the shoulder. The Russian’s face had gone bright red, and she refused to look at Lucio.

 

They were going to turn out fine.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this on my mind for a few days after drawing up some concepts for it, and I decided it would be better as a fic then as a comic like I originally had in mind. This also is my first fic on AO3, so that's exciting. 
> 
> детеныш means "baby".
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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